RICK SMITH: Creating Christmas beauty

The work behind holiday displays

SAN ANGELO, Texas - Thanks to all of you who put up Christmas yard decorations and lights this season to make the world a little brighter.

Although I love Christmas lights, I must confess that I have never put up any of my own.

Our neighbors have beautiful decorations, but the best I can do is a yellow porch light.

What does it take to create a yard decoration?

I asked a couple of San Angelo experts.

3509 Post Oak Road

John and Kathy House have put up Christmas displays in their yard for at least 15 years.

Their beautiful display on Post Oak, just off Millbrook Road (third house on the left), is perfect.

John supervises the rooftop lighting. He leaves the ladder work to his son Robert.

Kathy takes care of the other decorations. She decorates for Thanksgiving and then, when that's done, starts on Christmas.

Is it hard work?

"It is," John said. "We start the first of November and slowly put it all together."

The formula for the display hasn't changed much in the past 15 years.

"It's been pretty much the same way," John said. "My son will say, ‘Why don't we do this?' He's a handy guy at putting something together. He built a fake fireplace out front with socks hanging from it."

The Christmas trees have multiplied from the original one to several. An authentic-looking Santa Claus stands behind his sleigh, ready to fly away.

"I enjoy just seeing people pull up to the curb to look," John said. "Some bring their kids every night to see it.

"We do this for them, the neighbors — and for the kids."

3108 Woodland Circle

Craig Partusch's Christmas lights don't just twinkle. They flash and shimmer, blink and brighten depending on the music coming over Craig's own radio show.

"I've always put up lights, but this is the first time I've done a light show with music," Craig said.

It wasn't an easy job.

"It took me about 40 hours on the computer programming and another 24 hours to hang the lights in the trees," he said.

But it paid off. He has about 2,000 bulbs synchronized with the Christmas music he plays over his radio channel at 106.9 FM.

In addition to the lights, his yard display includes Christmas trees, deer and a Santa that sings to the music.

Craig said he got the idea from the Internet.

"I've been wanting to do it for years," he said. "Last year I had a cancer. I beat it, but I decided I'd better do this before it's too late."

His home radio transmitter allows cars parked up to 100 feet away to hear the music while watching the lights.